Renewable energy development will accelerate and Japan will keep its current policy of lowering its dependence on nuclear power as it aims for a low-carbon society, a government panel report on the energy plan through 2050 showed Tuesday.
The long-term policy comes as Japan lags behind the global trend to invest in renewables, and nuclear power is no longer deemed a cheap energy source in the wake of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant in 2011, with utilities required to massively invest to meet tougher safety regulations.
"Japan will keep the policy of lowering its dependency on nuclear power generation as much as possible while seeking to expand economically independent and carbon-free renewable energy," the report by the eight-member panel says. The members include scholars and business executives.